A most special family meal
by Colleen Fitzpatrick
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And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me’ (1 Corinthians 11:24).
I love a family get-together over a meal. My husband’s family gatherings have a particular pattern. Before we start eating, one of his sisters asks me to pray. The prayer includes thanks for all the good things we have and those who are no longer part of our group. There are prayers for those absent and those who are not well.
At some point in the meal, someone will start telling the family stories. The same tales are told at most gatherings. My favourite is about the time that my husband and his brother switched his sister’s electric blanket on one night when she had spent the day getting sunburnt at the beach. I think that some of the stories have grown over the years – which is one of the reasons why we still love to hear them. The next generation is starting to feature in them, and they delight in hearing about themselves and where they fit in the family.
Today’s reading is about a gathering of people who had shared some amazing times together. Imagine the stories that could have been told around that table. This meal was different, though. This instigated that special meal we continue to share with our sisters and brothers in Christ. It is through this meal that Jesus established the new covenant – the new order that came through his life, death and resurrection.
The meal comes with a caveat. It is not to be taken lightly – and the admonishment is there for those who eat and drink unworthily. Our participation in the Lord’s Supper is to be something that we think about, reflect on and prepare for.
In sharing this meal, we build and strengthen our Christian family life as we celebrate and remember the life and death of our Saviour. So, after sharing Holy Communion, the thanksgiving prayer acknowledges the healing gift that it is, and we pray that through it, we would be ‘strengthened in faith toward God and in love toward one another’.
Loving Saviour, thank you for living and dying for us. Thank you that as we gather around your table, we share this celebration with all of your children. May we be strengthened by it and joyfully share the message of your love in our daily life. Amen.
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